


The Kindergarten Blues

by princess_schez



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Pre-Series, wee!chester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-21
Updated: 2012-08-21
Packaged: 2017-11-12 15:04:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princess_schez/pseuds/princess_schez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam’s first day of kindergarten wasn't what he expected it to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by my two wonderful betas, Lisa and [](http://gidgetgal9.livejournal.com/profile)[**gidgetgal9**](http://gidgetgal9.livejournal.com/); so, huge thanks to them! Written for the [](http://summer-sam-love.livejournal.com/profile)[**summer_sam_love**](http://summer-sam-love.livejournal.com/)  
> [](http://s429.photobucket.com/albums/qq20/PrincessSchez/Supernatural/Other%20Supernatural%20stuff/?action=view&current=BannerKindergartenBluesFinal.jpg)
> 
> Thanks should also go to [](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/profile)[**lightthesparks**](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/) for creating such a wonderful story banner (and icons to boot!). They are totally made of awesome!

**Chapter 1**

Today was the day that little Sammy Winchester had been dreading for some time now. Today, he would be entering kindergarten for the first time, and he was scared to death. Sam wasn’t even sure if he was going to like school… especially after hearing all about the awful things that took place between the older students and the little kids from his brother Dean. Because of it, he really didn’t want to go. Besides, what if nobody liked him?

"Time to rise and shine!" ordered John, snapping both of his sons out of their deep sleep. He stood over their beds, watching them and waiting for them to awake.

Sammy kept his eyes closed and tried to pretend he was still asleep. In the next bed over, he could hear Dean grumbling, " _Dad_! I don’t wanna go to school!"

"Sorry, kiddo, up and at 'em. And I know you’re awake, Sammy."

"How do you know?" the youngest Winchester asked, still keeping his eyes shut tight.

John’s face broke into a small grin. "I know you're awake, because you’re talking to me."

Sam groaned.

As their dad left the tiny motel bedroom and headed over to the kitchen, Sam heard a creak and felt his bed shake. He slowly opened one eye and saw Dean had climbed over into his bed and was looking down at him.

"Dude," his whispered, "I can’t believe you fell for that trick. You shoulda just kept quiet. Dad can’t make you go to school if you’re asleep. No school. No Swirly."

"What’s a _Swirly_?" Sam asked, his voice barely above a whisper. This was a new one he hadn’t heard of before, and it didn’t sound at all pleasant.

"Awful, is what it is," Dean replied, trying to keep the smile off his face. "It’s where they push your head down into the toilet bowl and flush! And they keep flushing, too! Hence the name: Swirly."

Dean stopped, letting the words take effect in his younger brother’s head. He could see the fear growing in his eyes as Sammy sat up in bed.

"Think of it as… an initiation for the kindergarteners," Dean continued. "When you see the older kids coming… _run_! I wish I had."

"Aren’t you going to protect me?" Sam asked, fear now in his voice. He trusted Dean dearly, so Sammy hoped that he could count on him.

"I can’t be everywhere at once, Sammy," his brother replied. Dean patted him encouragingly on the shoulder before he slid off his brother’s bed and went to join their dad in the small kitchen. Sam was almost paralyzed with fear. _Initiation_?

How Dean had managed to survive it, Sam didn’t know. But it made him respect and adore his big brother even more that he could even talk about it. _It must’ve been awful!_

"Sammy, you coming?" their dad yelled over.

Reluctantly, Sam stood up and walked over to the kitchen. His feet were heavy with anxiety. Dean was already seated at the little kitchen counter.

-0-

He only took a few bites of his cereal before pushing the bowl away as Dean’s words replayed inside Sam’s head. _Swirly. Initiation. Run!_ He was much too nervous to eat.

John set his pen down and looked up from his stack of papers, noticing that Sam was barely eating, while Dean was going to town. "Eat up. You’ve got a big day ahead of you."

"I’m not that hungry," Sam mumbled, looking down at the dirty counter and avoiding eye contact with his dad. He was ashamed to admit that he was afraid. Sam turned and looked around the dingy motel, hoping his dad would change the subject. But he didn’t.

"It’ll be fine," he replied, sensing some anxiety from his youngest son. "You’ll get to play with kids your own age, do school projects, and there’s even nap time."

_You don’t know about the initiation, do you?_ Sam thought. He tried to give his dad a small, reassuring smile, but the thought of Dean’s words scared him to the core.

Dean kept his head down, his spoon in constant motion moving from bowl to his mouth, avoiding Sam’s and his father’s eyes. A small smirk grew on his face.

-0-

After breakfast and a quick change in clothes, Dean and Sam Winchester stood at attention, shoulder to shoulder by the old sofa, as their father inspected them like a military instructor. When he finally seemed pleased with what he saw, he spoke up.

"If anybody asks where you’re from, what do you say?" John asked, giving them the standard drill. They always did this routine whenever they changed towns – which seemed to be all too often, in Sam’s opinion. He couldn’t remember a time they stayed in one place for too long.

"We say we’re new in town, sir!" Dean spoke up, sounding just like a cadet. John nodded his approval and then turned and looked at Sam.

Sam pouted, not liking this one bit. "If they ask, we say we’re from the Midwest."

"Good. What if they ask what your father does for a living?"

"We say that you fix cars," they both replied. There were things Sammy didn’t fully understand about his dad’s job, and he often wondered why it involved moving around so much – not to mention why it also seemed to involve taking Dean out for target practice.

"Now," John said, facing Dean again, "I don’t want to receive another call from the principal’s office like I did last year in Albuquerque, you hear?" He gave his oldest son that patented stern John Winchester look that both boys knew meant serious business. Dean nodded, looking down at his feet and at the old, worn carpeting.

"What about names?" he continued.

"We’re Sam and Dean Winchester," answered Sam, the question plainly obvious. Questions also lingered in his mind as to why there were times - albeit not many - when their names did change. It could be confusing at times, but their dad made it clear he didn’t like being asked too many questions about this or his job, so Sam never pressed.

Finally, nodding approvingly, John motioned for them to grab their backpacks so they could leave.

-0-

The sun shone bright in the autumn sky as the crisp air blew against the black Impala. The elementary school was a fair distance from the motel, but it felt like too short a drive – because before Sam knew it, the brick building appeared. A fresh wave of worry filled him.

As their dad maneuvered the car into a parking spot, Dean shot a look at Sam. Sam tried to return the eye contact, but he was too busy fighting the little bit of breakfast that was trying to come up.

"I found holding my breath helps," Dean whispered to Sam as they got out of the car.  


* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2  
  
** Sam looked around the school, taking everything in, as some older kids – around Dean’s age – walked by then. They gave both brothers a welcoming smile, to which Dean gave them a thumbs-up sign. The kids seemed friendly enough, but Sam didn’t trust them. Perhaps they were only pretending nice to him because his dad and brother were around.  
  
Speaking of his father, he looked up. His dad was an imposing man, to say the least, but the way he was looking around the school with such fervent intensity, it was as if he were expecting the Boogeyman to jump out and attack them at any second.   
  
"Don’t worry, I’ve seen that look before," a woman announced. She gave them a warm smile as she shook John Winchester’s hand.  
  
"Seen what look before?" John asked.  
  
"That overprotective dad look," she smiled. "I’m Mrs. Potter. I’m the kindergarten teacher. You spoke on the phone with my husband last time. He co-teaches with me at times."  
  
Mrs. Potter was an elderly lady; her face lined yet sweet. She was also amazingly agile as she knelt down to Sam’s level. She seemed friendly to him, giving him a gentle handshake. "And, you must be Sam Winchester? It’s nice to meet you, Sam."  
  
He gave her a small nod as a cold chill went down his spine, causing him to shudder slightly. He looked at Dean, who gave only a small indication he felt something odd. If his dad noticed his shuddering, he didn't mention it.  
  
"He’s just shy," John stated, noticing his son was quieter than usual. "He’s been pretty hesitant about starting school."  
  
"Oh, it’ll be fun!" Mrs. Potter said. "We’ll have stories to read, and there will be snack and lunch time, and there’s lost of things to play with in class. And your brother will just be down the hall with the other third graders."  
  
John patted Sam encouragingly on the shoulder. "Have fun, kiddo."  
  
Mrs. Potter began to lead Sam into away as another person – most likely Dean’s teacher – came up to his dad and brother and introduced himself. Sam didn’t get to hear any of their conversation, though, as he was being led him round a corner. He felt like he was going to be sick.  
  
The teacher stopped before a large door, and held it open for Sam to walk through. He shuddered slightly as a blast of cool air hit him as he walked through.  
  
The classroom was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was sunny, clean, and bright, much different than the motels they usually stayed at, which always seemed dingy and dirty on their best days.  
  
But the best thing about it was there were kids his age there. He had never been around very many kids before, not with all the moving around they did. Most of his babysitters had been elderly women. But there were times he was watched by Pastor Jim instead. Out of all of his sitters, he liked Pastor Jim the most. But his only true companions had been books – and Dean – whenever their dad was out doing his job.  
  
Watching over the other kids was an elderly man, whom Sam guessed was Mrs. Potter’s husband. In the far corner of the room, watching over the entire class was a young brunette woman. She smiled and gave Sam a small wave.  
  
"You’ll want to drop off your backpack here," the young woman said, pointing to a row of cubbies that were filled with the other kids’ backpacks. Mrs. Potter went and talked to the man, while Sam dropped off his backpack.  
  
"I’m Ms. Sarah. What’s your name?" she asked, a pleasant tone in her voice.  
  
"Sam," he replied quietly.  
  
"Hello, Sam. Hope you have fun here."  
  
He nodded, and then Mrs. Potter’s voice grabbed his attention.  
  
"Now that everyone’s here, we should have a little introduction to get to know everyone a little better," Mrs. Potter announced. "If everyone could line up in a single file over here, please."   
  
Sam tensed up. He didn’t want to speak in front of the class, but he had no choice as the line began to form, with him - unfortunately - close to the front. Now he knew why their dad often drilled them with info. It was for times like these. His heartbeat quickened as he waited for his turn.  
  
He looked at the person behind him, another boy, who looked just as scared about speaking as he did. "My name’s Alex," the boy said. "What’s yours?"  
  
"Sam."  
  
"Hi, Sam. I was scared about coming here," Alex admitted. "I have a sister who’s in the fourth grade, and she says the older kids like to do initiations on us kindergarteners."  
  
"I heard that too, from my brother Dean who’s in third grade. My dad made me come here."  
  
"What initiation?" a girl asked, overhearing their conversation. She was in front of Sam, her pigtails brushing by his face as she turned to face him. Sam scratched his nose as he nodded. But the girl never got a chance to respond as she was called up now to speak.  
  
When it was Sam’s turn, he gulped as he took his spot in front of the class, taking in the faces of the students and teachers. Looking at them just made him feel more nervous; so instead, he looked down at his feet. Taking a deep breath, he mumbled, "I’m Sam, Sam Winchester. My dad and brother and I just moved to town. He fixes cars for a living, but we move around a lot and – and –"  
  
The words got stuck in his dry throat. Sam couldn’t seem to get the rest of his sentence out. All those faces were looking up at him, expectantly. Instead, he felt his face redden as he ran from his spot in front of the classroom and made his way toward the back of the room, suddenly feeling embarrassed.  
  
-0-  
  
Sam found a spot far back, away from everybody. He just wanted to be alone… his dad had been wrong telling him it would be okay. He would never get used to this, to going to school. Never. He wanted to go home and start reading that new book his dad had gotten him, even if his current "home" was a dank, scary motel. Sam just wanted this day to go by quickly.  
  
But his hope for being alone quickly evaporated when Sarah approached him. He hadn't even noticed her coming up to him; he kept his eyes focused down, away from everybody.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sarah asked.  
  
"No," Sam replied quietly.  
  
"Why not? I watched you, you did fine up there." She gave Sam a reassuring smile.  
  
"I got nervous and –"  
  
"Everybody gets nervous whenever they have to speak in front of people. I got scared my first time, too."  
  
"You did?" Sam looked up.  
  
Sarah nodded, as Alex came up and sat next to Sam.  
  
"Ms. Sarah’s really nice, isn’t she?" he said, facing Sam.  
  
Sam nodded.  
  
"So, your dad fixes cars? That’s cool," Alex continued.  
  
"It’s not that interesting," Sam replied. "We have to move a lot, and he’s sometimes gone awhile."  
  
"Oh. What about your mom?"  
  
"Dad doesn’t like to talk about her much."  
  
Alex pressed further. "Why not?"  
  
"I don’t know; he just doesn’t. I think it makes him sad."  
  
Alex seemed to understand and didn’t press on with any further questions, for which Sam was thankful. Instead, they watched and waited until the rest of the class had introduced themselves, neither one realizing that Sarah was now gone.  
  
-0-   
  
By the time naptime rolled around three hours later, Sam's day hadn't gotten any better. He’d been labeled a gifted child for already being capable of reading at a second grade level and knowing the answers to his teacher’s questions. This had earned him a round of snickers from the other students.  
  
Being ahead of the others should have made him feel better, but if there was anything his dad had always told him and Dean, it was to never draw too much attention to yourself. And Sam felt like he had failed his dad in that aspect with all the attention he was getting.  
  
As he curled up in his cot, the sounds of kids around him slowly starting to fall asleep, he remembered what happened at lunchtime…. He had opened his backpack and pulled out a meager half of a sandwich. This led to some snickering from the other kids, who asked if his family were dirt poor. Thankfully, his new friend Alex had some crackers and a juice box to share with him. They wouldn't have teased him if Dean were here. Dean always looked out for him.  
  
Sam’s eyes felt dry and tired, and soon, he dozed off.  
  
-0-  
  
Sam suddenly awoke with a start, a cold hand gripped him firmly on the arm. He lay there, frozen in terror. He couldn't even shut his eyes as he watched his breath coming in short little puffs. Sam's heartbeat quickened as the cold hand released him. Looking around, he tried to see who might have been there. Nobody was around, and the other kids were still asleep.  
  
Sitting up in his cot, Sam rubbed his eyes, wondering how long he’d been asleep and if everything that had happened was just a nightmare. A cold breeze, just like the one he felt earlier, drifted over the classroom again, and the classroom door slowly creaked open. Sam's breath caught painfully in his chest.  
  
 _Who was out there?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**  
  
Sam looked around the classroom again and realized his friend Alex wasn’t there. He felt scared and confused. Why would Alex do this to him?   
  
He waited for his friend to return, but after ten minutes had passed, nothing. Sam grew anxious; he was worried that one of the older kids might have caught him. He knew he should have awoken Mrs. Potter, who had dozed off in her chair by the blackboard, but something inside him told him not to. And so, he listened to his instincts.  
  
Quietly, he slid off his cot and tiptoed toward the door, sliding through the tiny opening without any problems. A couple of students mumbled softly behind him, but they didn’t wake up.  
  
Out of the classroom, he looked around; the school and hallways were completely vacant. Sam breathed a sigh of relief that there weren’t any older kids around. Maybe, just maybe, they hadn't gotten Alex. But if they had, Sam wondered how fast he could run away from them and get his teacher.  
  
His relief, however, was only short lived as a cold rushing of air passed by his ear, as though silently guiding him forward. Hesitantly, he followed the invisible guide toward a part of the school he hadn’t seen earlier. Walking past doors and rooms, he turned a corner and saw the rest of the hallway was completely blocked off. A warning sign was posted right out front, telling those not to enter as construction would be taking place.  
  
Long sheets of plastic billowed slowly in spots from where the tape was loose... in and out... like it was breathing. The moving of the plastic sounded ominous.  
  
Curiosity – and wanting to find his friend – got the better of his nerves. Sam lifted up a corner of the sheet and peered through to what lay beyond. He wasn't sure what to expect, but whatever it was, it wasn't this. The rest of the hallway on the other side looked exactly like this side.   
  
His eyes traveled across the hallway, wondering what kind of work was being done. Nothing seemed odd or out of place… except for the distinct feeling that someone - or something - was watching him. The hair on the back of his neck rose, and tiny goose bumps grew on his arms. This place gave him the creeps.  
  
Backing up, he went to turn around and just about screamed when a he saw a hand reach up beside him.  
  
"Sam! It's me! It's only Ms. Sarah!"  
  
Sam gasped, slowly turning around to face the young woman. He was surprised he didn’t hear her coming. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I was going to ask you the same thing," she replied.  
  
"I was looking for Alex," Sam answered. "He wasn't in the classroom and –"  
  
"Did you wake up Mrs. Potter?" she asked, looking worried.  
  
"No, I -"  
  
"Good."  
  
He blinked, feeling confused. Maybe he should have woken his teacher up. Now that seemed like the better idea.  
  
"I know where Alex is," she continued, walking past him. Sam thought about heading back and getting Mrs. Potter, but instead, he turned around. Sarah was already on the other side. If he could find Alex, maybe they could make it back before anyone noticed they were gone.  
  
Lifting up one side of the plastic lining, Sam ducked under and joined Sarah.  
  
-0-  
  
He was having a hard time keeping up with her. She walked quickly and unnaturally quietly. For every step she took, Sam had to take two extra just to keep up. The air here felt strangely thicker; his breathing became deeper, so he had to push himself on. Sarah rounded a corner, and when Sam followed, he saw her standing before an old wooden door.  
  
"Alex is inside," she said.  
  
She moved aside so Sam could open the door. He looked inside the small, dimly lit room. The air inside was cold, and overhead, an old light hummed loudly. Shivering slightly, it took a second for his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room after having come in from the bright hallway.  
  
Sam looked around; a few broken chairs, an old chalkboard, and a broken clock were just some of the accessories in the room. Pushed back against the wall was a desk, which his friend was sitting on. Alex felt his face brighten when he saw Sam enter, but he still felt scared.  
  
"Alex, when did you get here?" Sam asked, moving toward his new friend.  
  
"Little bit ago. Ms. Sarah – I… I followed her and she led me into here. She said she wanted to show me something," Alex stuttered.  
  
At the mention of the young woman, she smiled brightly and entered the room. "Two students. It’s been a long time since I had any students in my class. Lately, I thought no one could see me anymore."  
  
The boys watched as Sarah walked into the room, the door closing behind her with no assistance. As she moved past the boys, she walked through the old chairs, making her way to the chalkboard. Sam had to rub his eyes to make sure he wasn’t imagining what he saw. How could she walk _through_ the chairs?   
  
Sam looked at Alex, eyes wide with fear. His friend apparently saw the same thing as he. If that hadn’t been frightening enough for their young eyes, the fact that she began to fade in and out did nothing to help the situation. The light began flickering above…  
  
Sarah, with her back now facing the chalkboard, looked out at her small class. Alex held onto Sam tightly, his body shaking with fear. Sam wasn’t sure how to make him feel better; truth was, he was just as scared.  
  
"I’m Ms. Sarah, and I’ll be your teacher. Since it took a while to get you here today, we’ll just have a half day. Hopefully, we won’t have any kind of interruptions."  
  
Sam stared transfixed at the ghostly teacher, realizing this had to beat getting a Swirly any time. He knew he didn’t want to stay here, and he had to act quickly. When Sarah walked through the wall into the other room, an idea formed in his head.  
  
"Alex, we have to go!" Sam hissed.  
  
His friend just breathed heavily, too scared to even speak. He did nod slightly, indicating he understood.  
  
Sam grabbed hold of the door handle and yanked it open with every ounce of strength he had. He received the second scare of his young life, not expecting anyone to be just out side the door.  
  
"Oh my God! There you two are!"  
  
Standing there was Mrs. Potter; she stumbled backwards a little when the door opened forcefully and two blurred figures ran by her. Sam and Alex paid little attention to their living teacher, instead only focusing on how fast their legs could only carry them. They made it round the corner and down the hall in record time, only wanting to get as far away from that room as possible. Mrs. Potter ambled her way to catch up.   
  
As the boys reached the plastic lining, Sarah was already waiting there, arms crossed over her chest.  
  
"Where are you going?" she asked. "We have class!"   
  
They skidded to a stop, watching as she faded away just as Mrs. Potter finally caught up. Taking a couple of deep refreshing breaths, she exclaimed, "What on earth are you two doing over here? What is going on?"  
  
Both boys began talking at once, but the one thing she could discern from their ramble was the name "Ms. Sarah."  
  
"She told me there was something she wanted to show me," Alex blurted.  
  
"Alex was missing from class, and she told me she knew where to find him," Sam added. "She wanted to be our teacher!"  
  
Mrs. Potter stared at both boys incredulously, her breath finally coming in normal spurts now. The worried look she had on her face changed to sadness.  
  
"That’s – that’s impossible." Though the way she said it, it sounded more like she was commenting to herself than to either Sam or Alex.   
  
Rubbing the corner of her eyes with her fingers, she sighed deeply. She thought this problem had been fixed.  
  
"Come with me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**  
  
Dean never liked being in the principal’s office, but this time he knew it wasn’t for anything he had done. He was in the middle of class when he was pulled out by the principal himself, having been told his brother was missing. Dean was very worried.  
  
His dad was, too; it was obvious. He kept pacing around the office, his face unreadable and muttering occasionally under his breath. A man and woman sat opposite them; they must’ve been Alex’s parents. The principal told them another boy was missing, too.  
  
When the door to the office opened after what felt like an eternity, two boys entered, followed by Mrs. Potter. The moment Dean saw his little brother, he ran over and pulled Sam close. John rushed over to his youngest son, and Alex’s parents wrapped their son up in a flurry of arms. The waiting had been brutal for both Dean and his dad.   
  
"Dude, where were you?"   
  
"I’d think we’d all like to know that," the principal said. Mr. Shaver was a man near John’s age. Upon learning from Mrs. Potter and her husband that two of her students were missing, he’d leapt into action and called for a search. When neither boy had been located, he knew that calling their parents was a must.  
  
"I woke up during nap time," Sam began. "It was awfully cold, and it felt like a hand was on me. I thought maybe it was Alex, but I couldn’t find him. He wasn’t in the room with us. Then the door opened on its own, and I was worried the older students had gotten a hold of him, so I went looking for him. I know I shouldn’t have gone on my own, but –"  
  
"Why were you afraid the older students had got him?" Mr. Shaver asked, looking inquisitively toward Sam.  
  
Sam and Alex stole a quick look at one another before Sam replied, "The Swirly."  
  
Dean shuffled nervously around.  
  
The adults in the room looked confused, but Sam didn’t understand why. He thought it was painfully obvious.  
  
"You know, the _Swirly_. What the older kids do to us kindergarteners as an initiation. But then Ms. Sarah showed up, and – and she knew where to find Alex. I was really scared, but I had to find him. I didn’t think I was gone that long."  
  
"Sammy," John spoke up, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "you’ve been missing for almost two hours."  
  
He looked up at his dad, confusion written all over his young face. "No I wasn’t! I was only gone –" There was no way he could’ve been gone that long, could he? It didn’t seem like it.  
  
"Sam, nap time ended two hours ago," Mrs. Potter said soothingly. "And there’s nobody here that has the name Ms. Sarah." She had a hard time trying to keep the emotion out of her voice as she said the name.  
  
"Yes there is!" Sam wondered why everybody was having trouble keeping up with what he was saying. "She’s a grown-up, and has brown hair! She was in the classroom with us, and then she took us into this old classroom where she walked through the chairs and the wall! Alex saw her too!"  
  
"Back up, please," Mr. Shaver interrupted, he wasn’t sure if he heard correctly. "You’re saying she walked _through_ chairs and the wall? That’s impossible."  
  
"No, tell them Alex," Sam urged. His friend nodded eagerly in agreement.  
  
John narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t believe it. There was a ghost in the school. And Sam had fallen victim to it.  
  
"Sweetie," Mrs. Potter began, not quite sure how to proceed, "Ms. Sarah shouldn’t be here." The elderly teacher took a deep breath. "She died years ago. She was my granddaughter."  
  
Sam felt a cold chill travel down his small frame.  
  
Mrs. Potter looked sad. Facing the others, she explained her heartbreaking tale. "Sarah always wanted to teach kindergarten, like me. And when she finally got the chance, there was a terrible accident one night while she was in the classroom – the same one she took the boys to. Afterwards, strange things seemed to happen. There were items from the classroom missing, but I just chalked it up to me misplacing them. Finally, when students starting going missing, and the children were giving reports of a young woman who fit Sarah’s description, I started putting two and two together. We had a priest come in to bless the school and the activity died down, but Sarah appears to have come back again. I guess she never could find rest because she had been cheated on life and is now using her afterlife to try and teach."  
  
She looked at the principal and sighed. "I'm very sorry I never mentioned Sarah to you when you took over, but I thought she had moved on."  
  
-0-  
  
John walked close by Sam and Dean as he led them back to the black Impala. He was in deep thought, going over the day's events in his head.  
  
Sam seemed okay, given the traumatic occurrences with ghostly teachers and all. But, he would have a talk with him later.  
  
And yet, there was something else bothering him. Sam had mentioned something about this initiation between the older kids and little ones.  
  
Opening the car door, he looked at Sam. "What’s all this about a _Swirly_? Where did you hear about something like that?"  
  
"Oh," Sam said, perking up a little. "Dean told me."  
  
Dean slouched down in his seat, groaning. He knew what was going to happen.  
  
John took a deep breath. He should have seen this one coming. Leaning into the car, John gave Dean the Look, a look meaning he would be in deep trouble when they got back home.  
  
-0-  
  
Sam awoke sometime around midnight, hearing the motel door. A shuffle of footsteps and his bed creaked down from where his dad sat.  
  
"Sam, wake up. I want to talk to you."  
  
Slowly, he sat up, and faced his dad. He seemed more relaxed now, not like he had when they got back to the motel earlier. Dean had really gotten himself into it.  
  
"What’s wrong dad?" he asked sleepily. He couldn’t help but wonder why his dad smelled of lighter fluid and dirt….  
  
"Sam, I just want to tell you that I am proud of you for being so brave earlier. You were willing to do something that scared you so you could save your friend."  
  
"Well, I -" He couldn't finish as he could feel his face redden.   
  
John placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder.  
  
"And you won’t have to worry about those... Swirlys - or whatever they are - or anything. Dean was just trying to scare you," he added. Sam curled back up with his pillow, his young mind wandering. He gave his dad a small, sleepy smile.  
  
His first day of kindergarten hadn’t been a truly bad experience, but it was one he wouldn't forget. Though, he couldn’t help but still worry about the initiation. Even if Dean had been trying to scare him and his dad assured him it wouldn't happen, it was still something he didn’t want to experience.  
  
  
 **The End**


End file.
